Events

It's with a heavy heart, we've taken the decision to cancel or postpone all our events until the end of June. This is in line with Government advice and to help make sure we come through this difficult time as quickly as possible.

For events after this date, we will review the situation nearer the time. 

Council meetings cancelled

It has been agreed that all council meetings taking place in the near future will be cancelled. The details of the cancelled meetings are below:-

• SACRE – Monday 23 March 2020
• Health and Well Being Board – 26 March 2020
• Health and Housing Scrutiny – 26 March 2020
• Council – 26 March 2020
• Children & Young People  Scrutiny – 30 March 2020
• Adults Scrutiny – 31 March 2020
• Cabinet - 31 March 2020
• Planning – 1 April 2020
• Communities and Local Services Scrutiny – 2 April 2020
• Climate Change Cross Party Working Group – 20 April 2020
• Corporate Parenting Panel – 21 April 2020
• Audit – 22 April 2020
• Economy and Resources Scrutiny – 23 April 2020
• JCC – 24 April 2020
• Health and Housing Scrutiny – 30 April 2020

These meetings, by law, must take place in person. Because of current health guidelines, we’ve taken the decision to cancel them. We understand the law around this matter is under review and we will make appropriate arrangements to establish them once we have more information

School Crossing Patrol services

Due to the current situation, please be aware, school crossing patrol services have stopped with immediate effect.

Housing repair service restrictions

Unfortunately, because of the coronavirus outbreak, we are having to temporarily restrict our repair service for tenants.

For now, we are only able to deal with urgent and emergency situations: These include:

Gas Leaks
Total Electrical failure – please check your fuse box before calling
Total heating hot water failure with no other form of heating available
Burst pipes, including flooding
Making safe after storm damage – including dangerous structures and loose roof tiles
Dangerous live wiring
Loss of keys and no other way to access the property

We understand what a worrying time this is,and we haven't taken this decision lightly. Thank you for understanding - we will update you as soon as possible.

Local Plan postponed

Due to the ongoing and developing situation with the Coronavirus pandemic the planned deposit of the Local Plan has been postponed.

We are not able to say at this time when it will take place but anyone who has previously commented on the Local Plan, or registered on the consultation portal, will be updated as soon as a decision is made.

Full details about how to register for automatic updates are available on the Local Plan Blog [external site].

Freedom of Information and Data Protection

To ensure the health and wellbeing of all our residents and staff unfortunately we will not be providing a face-to-face service for people wanting to make an information request until further notice.  

While these temporary restrictions are in place you can continue to email, telephone and at present write to us in the usual way.

It is also likely that while we target our resources at meeting the needs of the most vulnerable and maintaining vital services you will experience a delay in receiving a response.  We apologise for the inconvenience and trust you can appreciate why we have had to implement the above measures at this difficult time.  

Please pass this message on to anyone you know who might be affected - especially if they do not have internet access.

Complaints

To ensure the health and wellbeing of all our residents and staff unfortunately we will not be providing a face-to-face service for people wanting to make a complaint, compliment or comment until further notice.  

While these temporary restrictions are in place you can continue to email, telephone and at present write to us in the usual way.

It is also likely that while we target our resources at meeting the needs of the most vulnerable and maintaining vital services you will experience a delay in receiving a response.  We apologise for the inconvenience and trust you can appreciate why we have had to implement the above measures at this difficult time.  

Please pass this message on to anyone you know who might be affected - especially if they do not have internet access.

Land charges

Following the Prime Ministers announcement made on the evening of 23 March 2020 about only travelling to do essential work we have had to suspend the Local Land Charges Service with immediate effect. The Land Charges Service is not considered an essential service and cannot be performed entirely by remote working. Some of the information required to perform a full search are reliant on hard copy records which are unable to be accessed by remotely, so completing a full search will no longer be possible.

We have also suspended the Personal Search Service with immediate effect.

Personal Search Companies can access some data sets on the councils website www.darlington.gov.uk/PA  however currently we can’t guarantee that this is a complete record.

These changes will be for 3 weeks but may be extended depending on further announcements from Government.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused

Payments

Some residents and customers may experience problems when making payments through our payments portal when using Google Chrome. If you experience any problems when attempting to make a payment using Chrome, please use a different web browser such as Edge, Firefox or Safari. Before reattempting to make any payments please first check with your bank to see if you have a pending transaction. Apologies for any inconvenience.

Planning

Planning services - Coronavirus (Covid-19) update

The council not only understands the important role that the Planning System will play in assisting the recovery of the economy following the current period of social isolation, but also the importance of a planning service for smaller scale proposals for individual families and households. The council therefore continues to operate a Development Management (Planning) service but with staff now almost entirely home-based. This has resulted in some changes to the way in which the service operates and, with the situation constantly evolving, we may need to make further changes in due course; you should revisit this page for further updates.

New permitted development rights for pubs, cafés and restaurants

The Government has introduced new permitted development rights for pubs (Use Class A4) and cafés & restaurants (Use Class A3) to operate solely for any use for the provision of hot or cold food that has been prepared for consumers for collection or delivery to be consumed, reheated or cooked by consumers off the premises (Use Class A5). This right to change the use of premises is time limited for 12 months and expires on 23 March 2021.

You will need to notify the council of this change of use; Please do so by e-mailing  [email protected] , providing the address, business name, previous use and contact details.  You will receive an acknowledgement from the council.

The use of the premises prior to the change of use to food takeaway will be reinstated after the use as a food takeaway has ceased.

Contacting the Planning Service

General enquiries should be made through [email protected] as normal. In order to ensure that you receive a response, a valid email address should be provided.

Case officers will be available by email, and this is the preferred method of contact. Contact by phone is still available either directly with the case officer or through the planning support team on 01325 405656

Wherever possible we ask that you communicate with officers via e-mail. Officers will be able to phone you back, if required and contact details are provided.

Planning Enforcement

Delivery restrictions update

On Friday 13 March, the Secretary of State for Housing and Communities and Local Government issued a statement about delivery restrictions. Read the full statement [external link]

The statement sets out that local planning authorities should take a positive approach to their engagement with food retailers and distributors, as well as the freight industry, to ensure planning controls are not a barrier to food delivery over the period of disruption caused by the coronavirus.

Given the current situation, as a local planning authority, we will follow government advice and will not enforce planning restrictions on the delivery of food and other essential deliveries during this period.

Planning enforcement enquiries should be made through the council's Planning Enforcement webpage.

The service will continue to investigate alleged breaches of planning control as far as it is currently possible.  Enforcement site visits will however only take place for the very highest priority cases and only where the Council is satisfied that the risk to staff and the public through the possible further transmission of the COVID-19 disease can be avoided.

Pre-application advice

Pre-application advice is a valuable tool in the Development Management process and the council is still able to offer the majority of these services.  However, face to face meetings will only be held via telephone. No site visits will be conducted as part of the pre-application service; however officers will be able to consider any photographs provided. Listed Building enquiries can be emailed to [email protected]

Site visits

Site visits for planning applications will not be able to be undertaken until further notice. Applicants are asked to provide comprehensive photographs of the outside and inside of a property and/or relevant views out. The case officer may contact applicants to request photographs of particular elements of the site, and from certain vistas. It may be the case that, without a site visit, some applications will not be able to be progressed at this time, and the council will consider a range of options available, including long-term extensions of time or withdrawal of the application altogether.

Submitting applications

The preferred method of submission is via the Planning Portal [opens in a new window] or by e-mail to [email protected] if this is not possible.

Applications submitted by hard copy will likely experience significant delay in processing.

Please note cheques for application fees can no longer be processed. Payment can be made as detailed on the methods of payment page.

Consultation responses

All representations to planning applications should be made electronically, ideally through the council's public access webpage, but if this is not possible then by e-mail to [email protected].

Consideration of representations made solely in hardcopy cannot be guaranteed at this time.

Publicity and site notices

For the foreseeable future the council's own published protocol on the publicity of planning applications is suspended and all applications will instead be required to meet the minimum statutory requirements for publicity, as set out in the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) Order (DMPO). Given the restricted access to Darlington Borough Council offices and the need to minimise staff at that location, it will no longer be possible to send postal notifications to owners or occupiers of land adjacent to application sites.

A site notice will now be displayed for each planning application, this will be sent electronically to the owner/occupier of the site where possible, who will be asked to print and display the notice outside of the property, where it is possible to do so safely, and provide photographic proof of this.

Alternative mechanisms for displaying site notices may be considered on a site-by-site basis, where this is not possible.

In addition to the statutory required publicity for applications, the public are encouraged to register with the Public Access System .

In addition to searching, viewing and commenting on planning applications, these systems allow you to 'Track' Applications and 'Save Searches' please see the pdf document 'Public Access User Guide' available on the registration page.

Meetings

Officers of the planning service will not be conducting face-to-face meetings until further notice. Officers are contactable via email and can make outgoing phone calls to any contact details provided.

Planning committee

Delegated planning decisions (the significant majority) will continue to be issued electronically, where possible. The Government has indicated that it is looking at giving Planning Authorities other methods of determining those applications that normally require referral to the council's Planning Committee.   Council will be considering all options going forward to support our communities.

Register office

The impact of Coronavirus/Covid-19 on the Registration Service

As at 30th March, 2020.

Introduction

The purpose of this information is to provide information on the impact of Coronavirus/Covid-19 on the following Register Office Services:

• Births
• Deaths
• Marriages and Civil Partnerships
• Citizenship
• Copy Certificates.

On behalf of the Register Office we would like to thank customers for their patience and understanding at this challenging and past changing time.

Birth Registrations

Upon instruction from the government, it is currently not possible to register a new birth or re-register an existing birth. All birth appointments have been suspended, both at the Register Office and at the Hospital, until further notice. We will update this information when this changes.

New parents are advised that they can now make a claim for child benefit or universal credit prior the birth being registered, where they have not been able to do so because of these measures. 

New parents should contact their GP surgery to register their new baby at the practice. In the absence of a birth certificate, information provided to new parents when leaving hospital after the birth (often in the “red book”) may be accepted as evidence of the birth by the doctor’s surgery.

Still Birth Registrations

We understand the difficulties of having to register a still birth. The hospital staff and the Register Office work closely to ensure that this very difficult event is registered in the most appropriate and sensitive way. Should you be in this situation then the hospital will tell you what to do or you can ring the Register Office for advice. 

Death Registrations

A death (unless the coroner is involved) is required by law to be registered within 5 full days of death. Day 1 is the day following the death. If the coroner is involved then he will advise you of the process.

• From Monday, 30th March death registrations are by a  pre-arranged telephone appointment with the Register Office.
• You do not need to attend the Register Office in person. The death will be registered by a telephone interview with the Registrar.
• The death can only be registered in the district where it occurs, we can only register a death that has occurred in Darlington.
• The person registering the death needs to be either a spouse, child or close relative of the deceased. If that person is not available to register the death because of illness or self isolation then you should contact the register office for advice on who can register the death.
• When making an appointment you must:
  • Telephone the Register Office on 01325 406 400 to make the appointment.
  • You do not need to collect the medical certificate cause of death from the hospital or doctors surgery. The certificate will be emailed to us ready for your telephone appointment.
  • Take the first appointment given to you as we are busier than usual at this time. If you cannot make the appointment that you are given then you must let us know as soon as possible.
  • When making the appointment you will be told what you will need to know and what to bring with you.
• At the telephone appointment the Registrar will:
  • Ask you questions about the deceased and register the death on the telephone without you attending the Register Office.
  • Take a card payment for any death certificates that you need and post them to you. You will need your debit or credit card ready as part of the appointment.
  • Tell you about the paperwork that will be issued for the burial or cremation.
  • Advise you about the Tell us Once Service.
  • Be able to signpost you to other services you might be able to help you.

Coronavirus/Covid-19 has been designated as a naturally occurring disease meaning that if the medical certificate that the doctor completes is all correct then the coroner will not be involved in cases of Coronavirus/Covid-19. The Coroner will only be involved if the medical certificate from the doctor is not correctly completed or there are other causes of death which are not naturally occurring.

The Register Office understands the challenges following a bereavement and is here to help and advise you following a bereavement, please do not hesitate to ask.

We will update this information if any of these arrangements change. 

Marriages and Civil Partnerships

Following the announcement by the Prime Minister on Monday, 23rd March:

• No weddings will be allowed to be take place until after Monday, 13th April, 2020. If you have a wedding booked with us during this time the Register Office Staff will contact you to discuss this.
• If you have a wedding booked with us after Monday, 13th April, 2020 and you have not already spoken to us, then you should contact the Register Office and we will help you understand your options and explain how you can reschedule the wedding if that is what you want to do.
• It is currently not possible to have an appointment to give notice of marriage/civil partnership.

We understand the anxiety and concerns about a wedding booking that you have with us. We will update this information as decisions are made by the government and the council which affect weddings.

We would like to thank customers who have already contacted us for their patience and understand at what is a difficult time for you.

Booking and paying for a wedding

Existing Bookings for weddings

In order to reduce the number of people coming into the register office so that we can protect our staff and vulnerable customers we are reducing the services that can be done in person at the register office.

We are currently not taking bookings and payments that are for existing weddings in person at the Register Office. We will update this page if this changes.

In the meantime you can still access these services online:

Payments

You can make a payment for your wedding on the council website. When making a payment you should pay the prescribed amount only and quote a reference which includes one of your surnames and the date of your wedding which allows us to identify your booking eg. JOHNSON16012021. The payment system will provide you with a receipt.

Booking Forms. Your booking forms can either be sent by post to us or photographed/emailed to: [email protected]. Your booking is only valid once we have received both the booking form and the payment. You will receive a confirmation of booking email from us.

New Bookings

• We are continuing to take bookings for the Statutory Marriage Room but in view of any current restrictions on weddings.
• We are continuing to take bookings for all weddings, in approved venues and at the Register Office for 2021 and 2022.
• We are currently not taking any new bookings for weddings in approved venues or in the Council Chamber to be held in the remainder of 2020 in order that we can meet our current obligations.

You can use the online enquiry form on our website.

Enquiries about changing your date or venue

You can ring us on 01325 406 400 or email us at [email protected].

Citizenship

Our next Citizenship ceremony is due to take place on Monday, 8th June, 2020 at 2pm in the Town Hall has been cancelled.  We will advise customers who have been granted British Citizenship but are waiting for their citizenship ceremony.

Certificates

In order to reduce the number of people coming into the register office so that we can protect our staff and vulnerable customers we are reducing the services that can be done in person at the register office.

For the foreseeable future we are not taking applications for copy certificates in person at the Register Office. You can apply for a copy certificate online on our website. The certificate will be posted to you within 5 working days.

If you need a copy certificate urgently you can apply by telephone to the General Register Office (who will also issue the certificate, it will not come from us). The cost of this is £35.00 per certificate. If you apply by 3pm you will receive it the following day post. Their telephone number is 0300 123 1837.

If you do not have access to the internet you can apply by post to us enclosing details of the certificate you require together with a cheque or postal order for £11.00 per certificate payable to “Darlington Borough Council”. Your certificate will be posted to you within 5 working days. Our postal address is The Register Office, Town Hall, Darlington DL1 5QT.

Please do not come to the register office in person for a copy certificate, we are not offering this service for the foreseeable future.

If you have already applied and paid for a certificate and need to collect it then contact us on 01325 406 400 and we will arrange to get it to you.

Our service of posting within 5 working days may be extended up to 15 working days should the demands on our service increase.

Contacting us

The Register Office is always here to help with and clarify if needed on any issues regarding our services. We want you to be able to make informed and considered choices.

You can contact us at:

• Email: [email protected]
• Tel: 01325 406 400.
• Post: The Register Office, Town Hall, Darlington DL1 5QT